PCI COMPLIANCES by Udi Levin, AI Risk PCI and Cybersecurity

Category: cyber attack

  • Top Critical Vulnerabilities May 2026

    Top Critical Vulnerabilities May 2026

    Here are the top critical CVEs as of May 2026:

    • CVE-2026-0073 (Google Android Zero-Click Vulnerability): Allows remote code execution on Android devices without user interaction, exploitable on the same local network. Updates have been released.

    • CVE-2026-0300 (Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS Buffer Overflow): Enables unauthenticated remote code execution with root privileges on PAN-OS, especially when the User-ID Authentication Portal is exposed. Limited exploitation has been observed.

    • CVE-2026-41940 (cPanel & WHM Authentication Bypass): A critical vulnerability leading to authentication bypass and elevated control of cPanel/WHM, actively weaponized against government, military, MSPs, and hosting providers.

    I’ve also noted other high-impact and actively exploited CVEs from recent months, including flaws in Cisco Secure Firewall, Langflow, Ubiquiti UniFi, and NetScaler ADC/Gateway. Older vulnerabilities like ZeroLogon and Log4Shell also continue to be exploited due to incomplete remediation.

  • Collapse of Patch Windows: Attackers are analyzing advisories and developing exploits within 10–24 hours

    Collapse of Patch Windows: Attackers are analyzing advisories and developing exploits within 10–24 hours

    As of April 2026, the landscape of open-source AI vulnerabilities is dominated by critical Remote Code Execution (RCE) flaws in agentic frameworks, inference servers, and developer tools. The rapid exploitation of these vulnerabilities—often within hours of disclosure—has made supply chain and orchestration security a top concern. Cloud Security Alliance (CSA)Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) +1

    Here are the top CVEs and security incidents in open-source AI from early 2026:

    1. Marimo Notebook Unauthenticated RCE (CVE-2026-39987) 

    • Status: Critical (CVSS 9.3)
    • Details: Disclosed April 8, 2026, this flaw in the Marimo reactive Python notebook allowed unauthenticated attackers to gain a full interactive shell (root) via the terminal WebSocket (/terminal/ws) in one request.
    • Impact: Exploitation was observed within 10 hours, with attackers targeting cloud provider credentials and LLM API keys stored in environment files. Cloud Security Alliance (CSA)Cloud Security Alliance (CSA)

    2. SGLang RCE via GGUF Models (CVE-2026-5760) 

    • Status: Critical (CVSS 9.8)
    • Details: Disclosed April 20, 2026, this vulnerability in the SGLang high-performance serving framework allows RCE through specially crafted GGUF model files via the /v1/rerank endpoint. The Hacker NewsThe Hacker News

    3. Langflow Unauthenticated RCE (CVE-2026-33017)

    • Status: Critical (CVSS 9.8)
    • Details: Reported in late March/early April 2026, this flaw enabled attackers to inject Python code through the POST /api/v1/build_public_tmp/{flow_id}/flow endpoint, affecting versions prior to 1.9.0.
    • Impact: Actively exploited within 20 hours to harvest .env files and API keys. GreenboneGreenbone

    4. MetaGPT SSRF and RCE Vulnerabilities

    • CVE-2026-6111: High-severity Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) in the decode_image function, allowing attackers to probe internal networks.
    • CVE-2026-6110 / CVE-2026-5974: Multiple RCE vulnerabilities via command injection and code execution in the multi-agent framework. SentinelOneSentinelOne

    5. MaxKB AI Assistant RCEs (CVE-2026-39417/39424) 

    • Status: Critical
    • Details: Multiple RCE vulnerabilities (CVE-2026-39417, CVE-2026-39424) affecting MaxKB (versions 2.7.1 and below) were disclosed in April 2026. These allowed formula injection and MCP node exploitation, bypassing previous security fixes. SentinelOneSentinelOne +1

    6. Flowise RCE (CVE-2025-59528)

    • Status: Critical
    • Details: While disclosed in 2025, this CVEremained a major threat in April 2026, with reports of active exploitation of node code injection flaws in the popular drag-and-drop LLM orchestrator. OWASP Gen AI Security ProjectOWASP Gen AI Security Project +1

    7. LiteLLM Supply Chain Breach (March-April 2026) 

    • Details: A supply-chain compromise affecting LiteLLM updates impacted AI data operations, raising fears of proprietary training-data exposure. It was linked to a breach at a major AI data vendor. OWASP Gen AI Security ProjectOWASP Gen AI Security Project

    Key Trends (April 2026)

    • “Root in One Request”: Many vulnerabilities now allow unauthenticated, instant RCE, such as the Marimo case.
    • Collapse of Patch Windows: Attackers are analyzing advisories and developing exploits within 10–24 hours, often before public proof-of-concept code exists.
    • Focus on AI Developer Tools: Security tools like Trivy (CVE-2026-33634) and developer environments (Marimo, Langflow) are being targeted to steal credentials and compromise systems further upstream.
    • Agentic Framework Vulnerabilities: OpenClaw and CrewAI have seen multiple vulnerabilities that allow attackers to chain prompt injections into RCE and SSRF. Adversa AIAdversa AI +4

    Note: The results are based on an analysis of AI security reports and CVE databases up to April 24, 2026.

  • Cyber Risks in Wartime

    Cyber Risks in Wartime

    Cyber War in the Shadows: Israel vs. Iran – A New Frontline

    In today’s geopolitical landscape, the battlefield is no longer limited to land, sea, and air — it extends deep into the digital realm. What many once considered a background threat has now become a core component of strategic competition between states.

    Recent developments in the ongoing war between Israel and Iran illustrate just how significant this shift has become:

    Active Cyber Campaigns

    Parallel to kinetic operations, Iranian-linked cyber groups — both state-affiliated and proxy collectives — have been identified targeting Israeli digital infrastructure and information systems. These campaigns range from phishing and reconnaissance to data theft, disruption and influence operations.

    Hybrid Threat Ecosystem

    The cyber domain today blends traditional intelligence operations, hacktivism, and state-sponsored activity. This complexity makes attribution and defense more challenging, demanding advanced collaboration between governments, private sector defenders, and international partners.

    A Global Issue

    This is not just an Israel-Iran story — it’s a reflection of how major powers are shaping cyber capabilities as part of broader strategic competition. As organizations and nations innovate, defenders must adapt faster than ever.

    The digital war is real, relentless, and constantly evolving. Strengthening cyber preparedness, investing in resilient infrastructure, and fostering cross-sector cooperation are key priorities for national and corporate security alike.

    #CyberSecurity #CyberWarfare #Israel #Iran #StrategicRisk #InformationSecurity

  • Mainframes COBOL and Cyber Risk

    Mainframes COBOL and Cyber Risk

    Why MF COBOL Applications Are at Higher Risk Today – A Cyber Perspective

    COBOL applications running on mainframes still power the core systems of banks, insurance firms, and large enterprises.

    But the threat landscape has changed — and many environments haven’t evolved accordingly.

    🔹 Increased exposure via APIs and Open Banking

    🔹 Integration with modern DevOps and CI/CD pipelines

    🔹 Shortage of experienced COBOL professionals

    🔹 Challenges implementing modern controls (Zero Trust, EDR, runtime monitoring)

    The IBM z/OS platform itself is robust and secure —

    but the surrounding ecosystem and digital integrations create new attack surfaces.

    Mainframe cyber resilience is no longer optional. It’s foundational.

    —————-//

    למה אפליקציות

    MF מבוססות COBOL

    נמצאות היום בסיכון גבוה יותר – מזווית סייבר

    קוד COBOL על גבי Mainframe (MF) ממשיך להריץ את מערכות הליבה של בנקים, ביטוח וארגוני אנטרפרייז.

    אבל סביבת האיומים השתנתה – והמערכות לא תמיד.

    🔹 חשיפה גוברת דרך API, אינטגרציות ו-Open Banking

    🔹 חיבור ל-DevOps וכלי CI/CD שלא נולדו לעולמות MF

    🔹 מחסור באנשי COBOL מנוסים

    🔹 קושי בהטמעת בקרות מודרניות (Zero Trust, EDR, Runtime Monitoring)

    ה-IBM z/OS עצמו חזק ומאובטח —

    אבל המעטפת הארגונית והחיבורים לעולם הדיגיטלי הם נקודת הסיכון החדשה.

    Cyber resilience במיינפריים כבר לא אופציה. הוא תנאי יסוד.

  • Credit Card Processor Risk of Attack

    Credit Card Processor Risk of Attack

    There have been successful attacks on credit card processors in the past. Credit card processors, which are responsible for handling payment transactions between merchants, banks, and card issuers, can be targeted by attackers seeking to steal payment data or disrupt payment processing operations.
    One notable example is the 2014 cyberattack on JPMorgan Chase, which is one of the largest processors of credit card transactions in the world. In this attack, hackers gained access to the bank’s computer systems and stole the personal and financial information of over 83 million customers, including credit card data.

    Another example is the 2018 breach of the payment processing company, First Data. In this attack, hackers gained access to a web application used by First Data and stole payment card information of customers from a number of merchant websites.

    These attacks highlight the need for credit card processors to implement robust security measures and constantly monitor their systems for vulnerabilities and suspicious activity. They also demonstrate the importance of maintaining a strong security posture throughout the payment processing ecosystem, including merchants, banks, and card issuers, to prevent attacks and protect sensitive payment data.